Everyone thinks drawing Sheldon J. Plankton is a piece of cake because he’s basically a bean with a single eye. He’s tiny. He’s green. How hard could it be? Honestly, it’s a lot harder than it looks if you want him to actually look like the megalomaniac we all love from SpongeBob SquarePants. If you mess up the proportions of that one giant eye, he doesn’t look like a villain; he just looks like a confused jellybean.
Most people start with a circle for the eye and then realize they’ve run out of room for the rest of his body. That's the first mistake. You have to think about the "bean" first. Plankton is a copepod, which in the real world is a microscopic crustacean, but in Bikini Bottom, he’s a pill-shaped bundle of pure rage.
Getting the "Pill" Shape Right for Plankton
Grab a pencil. Don't press hard. You're going to want to sketch a long, slightly curved oval. Think of a Tic-Tac or a vitamin pill. It shouldn't be perfectly straight; Plankton usually has a bit of a "lean" to him because he's constantly plotting or yelling at Karen. If you make the body too fat, he looks like a green potato. If it's too thin, he loses that iconic silhouette.
The curve is everything. You want the top to be slightly more rounded than the bottom. In the early seasons of SpongeBob, Stephen Hillenburg’s team kept Plankton’s shape very consistent—smooth, simple, and expressive. As you sketch this out, leave plenty of room in the top third of the body. That’s where the magic happens.
The Eye is the Window to the Evil Soul
Here is where 90% of people fail when they try to draw Plankton. His eye isn't just a circle. It’s a massive, expressive orb that takes up nearly half of his upper body. It’s usually placed right in the center of that top curve.
- Draw a large circle. It should nearly touch the edges of his body.
- Inside that, draw a smaller circle for the pupil.
- Now, the eyebrow. This is the most important part of the whole drawing.
Plankton’s eyebrow is thick and black. It sits right on top of the eye. If you draw it flat, he looks bored. If you arch it high, he looks surprised. To get that classic "I'm going to steal the Krabby Patty formula" look, you need to angle it down toward the center of the eye. This creates a "V" shape with the brow that screams villainy. It’s a trick used in classic animation to instantly signal a character's intent.
Antennas and Tiny Limbs
Plankton has two long, thin antennas sticking out of the top of his head. They aren't just straight lines. They have these little segments, almost like tiny ridges. Usually, there are four or five small horizontal lines on each antenna. They should curve outward away from each other. Think of them like a TV antenna from the 90s.
Then come the arms and legs. They are incredibly spindly. They’re basically just lines with no real muscle or structure. His arms usually come out from the middle of his body, and his legs are tiny little stubs at the very bottom. He doesn't have feet—just points.
When you’re drawing the hands, don’t worry about fingers. Plankton’s "hands" are usually just small rounded ends or, if he’s pointing, a single sharp digit. It’s all about the gesture. If he’s laughing manically, his arms are usually thrown wide or held to his sides while he shakes.
Why Most People Mess Up the Mouth
The mouth is tricky because it’s so versatile. Sometimes it’s a tiny line. Sometimes it’s a giant cavernous hole that shows his tongue and two square teeth. If you want him to look truly devious, draw a wide, toothy grin that stretches across the bottom of his eye.
The teeth are key. He usually has two flat, rectangular teeth at the top of his mouth. They aren't sharp like a shark’s; they’re more like a human’s front teeth, which makes his expressions feel more relatable and, funnily enough, more pathetic. Inside the mouth, add a small curved line for the tongue.
Color and Shading: Keeping it Bikini Bottom Style
If you’re coloring this in, you need a very specific shade of green. It’s not lime green, and it’s not forest green. It’s a medium, slightly desaturated seafoam green. The pupil is always solid black, but the iris around it is usually a bright, slightly yellowish-green or sometimes just white depending on the specific scene or era of the show.
Don't over-shade. The SpongeBob art style is very "flat" compared to modern 3D animation. A little bit of darker green along the left side of his body is usually enough to give him some depth. Keep the lines bold. Use a black felt-tip pen or a heavy marker to trace over your pencil lines once you’re happy with them. The thick outlines are what give him that "pop" against the colorful backgrounds of the show.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
One big mistake is making the antennas too short. They should be at least half the length of his body. If they’re short, he looks like a bug, not Plankton. Another thing is the placement of the eye. If you put it too low, he has no "forehead," and it ruins the balance of the character.
Also, watch the scale. If you're drawing him next to SpongeBob or Mr. Krabs, he should be tiny. Like, "can fit in the palm of a hand" tiny. But if you’re drawing him alone, he needs to command the page.
Practice Makes the Formula
Drawing characters from SpongeBob is a great way to learn about silhouette and expression. Plankton is the master of "less is more." Every line has to count because there are so few of them. If you can master the tilt of his eyebrow, you can convey more emotion than most people can with a full human face.
Start by sketching five different "pills." In each one, change only the eyebrow and the mouth. You'll see how quickly his personality shifts from angry to sad to maniacally happy. It’s a masterclass in character design.
Once you’ve got the basic shape down, try drawing him in different poses. Draw him holding a megaphone. Draw him inside his robot suit. The base "bean" shape stays the same, which makes him one of the most fun characters to iterate on.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Art
- Study the Silhouette: Look at a still frame from the show and try to draw just the outline of Plankton. If you can recognize him just by the outline, you’ve got the proportions right.
- Vary the Line Weight: Use a thicker pen for the outer body and a thinner one for the segments on his antennas. This adds professional polish.
- The "V" Test: Check the angle of the eyebrow. If it doesn't form a slight "V" toward the nose area (even though he doesn't have a nose), he won't look like the antagonist he's meant to be.
- Don't Forget the Teeth: Even a tiny sliver of those white square teeth makes him look more like the character and less like a generic alien.
The best part about drawing Plankton is that he's built for expression. Don't be afraid to get messy with your initial sketches. The more you play with his "squash and stretch," the more life you'll bring to the page. Go grab a green marker and start working on that evil grin.